The very last day

In each location the results of the students’ work was displayed. The atmosphere was one of a sense of satisfaction tinged with exhaustion. Matthew Wilson, a student on Manfred Pernice’s sculpture course, summed up the feelings of many: however long a work may appear to have taken, it actually took twice as long. The variety of work across the courses was remarkable, and even within courses students challenged the boundaries of their subject and media. It is impossible, and would be unfair, to attempt to identify favourites, although some works do stick in the mind: the speculative construction of students on Christopher Roth’s architecture course, who created an account of what may have happened to one of their classmates who disappeared halfway through; the drawings of the prolific Michelle Cioccoloni; and Ulrich Jordis’s Roy Lichtenstein inspired painting, which had my thirteen month-old daughter quite literally dancing with excitement (possibly due to the dog)!

In the evening this year’s proceedings were officially closed with a few words from Dr. Hildegund Amanshauser, director of the Summer Academy. She thanked the staff, teachers, and especially the participants, for their efforts. Over the last six weeks we have witnessed exhibitions, lectures and lunch talks which have brought together artists and students from every conceivable medium, to discuss and consider many issues and questions related to the arts in their widest possible sense. Local artists have opened their studios to us and discussed their work and the current state of the arts here in Salzburg. And most crucially, artists at every stage of their careers, from beginners to established names, have met and shared ideas. It has been a quite remarkable time.